It's Amore
by resident-of-storybrooke
Summary: Killian Jones has tried to live by a code, a heavy believer in good form, but it's hard to be a "good guy" when you're not really a guy at all. In attempt to make his eternal presence on Earth a better one Killian uses his supernatural gifts. After centuries of keeping one foot in the mortal world one woman makes him want to take that final leap. Can Emma help him feel alive again?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Holy forking shirt balls, it's here fam squad! I am so beyond excited to** _ **finally**_ **start dropping my story,** _ **It's Amore**_ **. It is based off the show Moonlight for those familiar with the show it was such a great loss, but I figured why not put our favorite couple in the mix with it? A massive shoutout goes to kmomof4 for her never ending support and love and putting this all together! Also, a huge I love you to hollyethecurious for not only being my beta but doing the artwork for this story! Thank you darling, cannot wait to see where we end up on this journey. I feel like I owe a lot of thanks to a lot of other people who have been supporting me throughout this time already, just know that I am sending all the love right back to ya! It's been too long fam squad, sorry about that! Just know I will try my hardest to have somewhat regular updates weekly (if not aiming for bi-weekly).**

 **Come say hi on tumblr!**

 **Without further ado, enjoy...ALL THE LOVE**

They settled into their seats, the room only lit by the two spotlights on him. The room felt cold, not the temperature per se, but the atmosphere chilled her to the core.

"Mr. Jones, we've asked you here today because-"

"Aye, I know why you asked me here, love. It's because you humans are so obsessed with my kind."

"Well, yes. You have to admit it's rare meeting someone with you..like..that you're…"

"A vampire, you can say it. I won't bite, unless that's what you're in to."

She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, as if she could swallow her fear.

"Just kidding love, I have no need for you to offer up a vein, I have a guy." He acted as if that was natural, but then again, he wasn't natural.

"Like a dealer?"

"Sure, let's call him that."

"Do you sleep in a coffin?"

A deep chuckle left his throat, he tried to clear it without seeming like an ass. "Sorry, bad form to laugh, it's not like you know any better with these ridiculous wives' tales floating about. No, I do not sleep in a coffin. I sleep in a freezer."

"Speaking of these wives' tales. Garlic? Does it repel you?"

"Repels my dates, perhaps. Toss some holy water on me I get wet. Oh, and I can't turn into a bat. How cool would that be though?"

"Daylight?"

"Doesn't kill me, however, it weakens me. Best stay away from it when possible."

"So, you're undead." It sounded more like a question than she intended it to. He nodded solemnly encouraging her to finish the question. "How can one kill the undead? Wooden stake I'm guessing."

"Fair question, a bit hard to do so, but there are ways to exterminate us. Wooden stake won't kill, but it will paralyze us. After that all you have to do is chop off our head or set us on fire." A frown overtook his face, remembering an unpleasant memory. "Other than that, we heal."

An awkward moment of silence overtook the room.

"So, you don't feed off people? You seem, well you seem kind enough."

"Thank you, love. You see I don't attack innocents, women, or children. I live by a code, I believe in good form, and protecting people."

"Is that why you became a PI?"

"If the gods have made this mons - way I want to find a way to use my skills to help the world. I can hear things, see things people can't. I can help. And, there are some predators out there that need to be dealt with that need my special _touch_."

Her breath hitched on emphases he placed on the word. Here as he talked about violence, she could only imagine what it would be like for him to touch her.

"Anything you wish to say to the vampire wannabe's out there Mr. Jones?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, Miss. Swan." He shifted to the edge of his seat, looked dead into the camera and said, "stay out of my way."


	2. Starts with a Girl

**A/N AH! Here it is the first real chapter of** _ **It's Amore!**_ **Thank you for all your kind comments thus far, I hope you all continue to like the story! A massive thank you to the always fantastical hollyethecurious for her magical beta skills and artwork! Make sure to come say hi over on tumblr! All the love!**

His eyes sprang open.

 _It was only a bloody dream,_ he sadly thought to himself.

He often wondered what it would be like to explain himself to the world.

To let _her_ know.

To let everyone, know that he was a vampire, had been for the last 200 odd years. People say they're open minded and accepting, but Killian knew the truth. In his long-life humans had proved to be rather afraid of him and his _condition_.

Although it was a rare occurrence when Killian showed his more predatorial side, the reactions were always the same. Killian never blamed them for being so terrified when they found out. He still remembers the day he found out.

The day his happily ever after turned into a nightmare. The day he died.

Sick of moping around Killian walked around his rather lavish apartment. He'd been alone for most of his life if you could call it that. He had traveled all over the world collecting artifacts throughout his existence. He thought if he could make his home beautiful then maybe it would cancel out the ugliness and darkness he brought.

Killian rarely turned on his television, it was always the same tragic tales just with various facts changed a bit. It wasn't the stories that made him tune in, it was _her_.

Emma Swan.

The woman he had always felt a connection with. The most beautiful woman he had ever gazed his eyes upon. Her eyes, the dazzling emeralds that captured his attention immediately. No, it was her golden locks that first enamored him, how she was radiating even in the darkness of the dark night of the broadcast.

Killian blamed his curious nature on why he was so engrossed with her. Maybe that's what made him a good private investigator. Like all good detective stories, this one starts with a girl.

"A young life tragically cut short. Tonight, a new killer is in on the loose." The broadcast interrupted his train of thought.

Okay, well technically two girls, but one of them was dead.

CSCSCSCSCS

"This is Emma Swan for Buzz Wire, goodnight."

"And...cut! Great job Emma!" David lowered his camera and rushed over to give Emma a high five. He had been Emma's cameraman since they had met in college, but that seemed like ages ago. He'd always had a knack for capturing the moment, plus Emma knew David would never make her look bad during a broadcast.

Emma turned around gazing upon the police tape that divided her from the victim's body. She couldn't help but feel remorse for the girl. Irene was only three years younger than Emma, and from what Emma had already gathered she seemed to have more in common with the girl than she would've liked.

All of a sudden Emma saw Detective Will Scarlet making his way over to the body with a few higher ups Emma recognized. They were only ever called when something big had happened. Without a second thought Emma ducked under the caution tape, ignoring David's warnings to get back to the van.

Emma was smart, well she liked to believe she was at points. She stayed behind the men, listening to them discuss the scene in graphic detail.

"To top it off, she had two… marks on her neck."

"What like a vampire?"

This was one of those moments when Emma was not as smart as she thought she was. Suddenly, the four men had turned around to find Emma and her notepad scribbling down their conversation.

"Will I-"

"Emma, out! Now!"

"But Will can-" Emma was cut off by the sudden force of Will pushing her back towards the van with an embarrassed David Nolan waiting for her. Will looked scrappy, but he was a lot stronger than she'd thought. Right before they reached the tape Emma maneuvered out of Will's grasp much to his dismay.

"Just tell me one thing, one thing. Off the record, of course." Will looked down at Emma, not that he towered her by much, but she could tell this was his impersonation of _bad cop_. She gave him a matching look, too stubborn to back down.

"Fine. She had two puncture marks on her throat, no other signs of a struggle, didn't look like she was able to put up a fight either. She - Hey! Hey! Get these guys out of there."

Emma turned around to see all the major networks, finally, showing up to the scene. She felt pride in her ability to score the story before any of those guys did. They seemed to look down on her and the team because she was an internet reporter, which honestly, she didn't care what they thought. Bills were paid, and she was in a much better place than she thought possible all those years ago.

"Murder on McLoughlin. No. Slaying in Southie…something with vampires."

Emma hadn't been paying attention and ran into someone, but not just anyone.

 _Holy fucking hell._

The word beautiful did not do him justice. He was the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes on. She was stunned, as if looking into his eyes was hypnotizing her. Emma took him in. This man had the bluest eyes she had ever seen, even in the dark they were shining back at her. He seemed perfect, even the small scar on his right cheek seemed perfectly shaped.

 _Really, Emma? His scar is perfect? Get it together girl!_

"There's no such thing, love."

 _Oh, of fucking course there's an accent to match._

"I'm sorry what?" Emma finally realized that the man was still holding her from their collusion and promptly took a step back.

"Vampires, of course. There's no such thing."

"Oh, yeah right, well you know headlines need to be...wait, do I know you?"

"You tell me, love." Emma saw how he tried to conceal his smile, but the corners of his mouth tilted up slightly enough for her to catch it. She took a minute, trying to take him in. He seemed familiar, she had seen him before, but could not remember how.

"You just, I don't know, I just feel like we've met before."

"Maybe I just have one of those faces."

"Yeah right, I highly doubt I'd forget your face." Emma's eyes squeezed shut, praying that this was a dream and she didn't actually say that aloud. Much to her dismay, when she opened her eyes she found him still standing in front of her. He had an eyebrow raised, his smolder once again stunned her. However, when she noticed him scratching behind his ear she could tell he was nervous, embarrassed maybe?

 _From what though?_

She obviously could not make this man nervous, he's him and she's...well she's not bad looking but there's no way Emma Swan is making this guy nervous. David hollered for her to return to the van, when Emma turned back towards him begging him to give her just another second with mystery man over here.

"What's your na-" He was gone.

Emma left the scene, only to come back a few hours later after everyone had left to see if she could find something the cops had missed. She promised she'd check in with David throughout the night. Sometimes he acted more as her father than her friend, but she didn't mind it too much. Coming from nothing and no one, she always appreciated it when she realized she was not completely alone anymore.

When she returned only a handful of cars were left in the lot, Emma was concerned that this might be a wild goose chase, until she saw a rather obvious hint of which car was Irene's. She had a feeling the one with the license plate _Iren-Iran_ might just happened to have belonged to the victim.

Now, Emma was not proud of some of her beginnings, but it had helped her be more adapt then some of the other reporters. One trick that she could always count on was breaking into a car and judging by Irene's car this would be simple. All it took was the right angel and _click_ she was in.

As Emma shuffled various paperwork and junk throughout the car she could tell she was a Salem University student, which would've been enough, but Irene was kind enough to have her insurance in the glove compartment which thankfully had the girl's address. Before Emma got out of the car she hit her head on a necklace hanging from the rearview mirror. It was a small, black, bat pendant, tiny as hell, but sharp around the edges. Emma took a quick picture of it, only to help further the vampire angel of course.

CSCSCSCSCS

As Killian quickly learned from his self isolation, there was a need to be careful, discrete, something Robin never was. Robin Locksley, the _original_ Robin Locksley, as he liked to clarify every chance he got. As secluded and minimal Killian was, Robin was ten times more extravagant. He was the oldest vampire Killian knew, a whopping 586 years-old, and still had a few more hundred years left in him.

"Yeah? My position is simple, okay?" Killian could tell Robin's patients was wearing thin with whomever he was on the phone with. "I'm short the York shares, and that was a guaranteed deal. Guaranteed." Robin noticed his friend gave him a quick wave and rolled his eyes at the phone call.

"Any issues, and well, let's just say I would sleep with one eye open for a bit mate." Robin whispered over to Killian, "Can you believe these guys? No integrity. Here watch this." Killian took a seat and enjoyed the show, Robin had always been theatrical, seems to have only gotten worse with old age.

"You don't - oh really? Oh okay, how about this one: you screw me over and I'll come down there and rip your heart out myself? Good. Talk to you soon old bean, tell the misses I say hello."

Robin threw the phone down and took a seat across from Killian, both pair of eyes glued to the television where Emma's report was being broadcasted. She kept with the vampire angel, Killian liked the headline she went with _Murder in the Moonlight_ seemed fitting.

"Can you believe this?" Killian turned and saw the fear in Robin's eyes. As theatrical as Robin was, he had a right to be nervous and paranoid over every incident. He'd been around for a few hundred years, he'd seen the angry mobs and the trials.

"It'll be fine mate, I assure you it wasn't one of us," Robin eyed Killian up, "I was there, I couldn't smell anything on her." One of the other side effects of Killian's lifestyle was he could smell the decay of another. Even if they were a young vamp, there was always some smell lingering in the air or on the victim.

"Regardless, I don't like it. There's too much out there now, DNA, fingerprints, photographs. I missed the day we just showed up blurry. These fuckin' newbys have no idea the shit they can get us in if they don't keep it together."

"Don't worry, it'll all blow over by the end of the week. There'll be some other tragedy, or granny winning the lottery in no time." Robin rolled his eyes at Killian and his lack of paranoia. Killian knew never to be too cocky, but it was still fun messing with Robin every now and then.

"Oh, come here darling." Out from the corner came a beautiful brunette, barely clothed, clearly here for one purpose: to feed Robin.

"Hmmm, 82 was a good year. Could I offer you a light refreshment?" Robin extended the brunette's arm to Killian. He could smell the blood, could feel the warmth pumping through her. He didn't need to kill her, he could stop himself, but he didn't trust himself. He merely shook his head and Robin retracted the arm. "I admire you, the self control and all, wanting to be like a human. It's cute, Killian, really it is. However, you're fooling yourself if you think you can keep living off that retail blood of yours."

"And that's my cue to leave. Goodbye Robin, I'll see you around mate."

CSCSCSCSCS

"Killian, sir. What can I do for you today? Information or a drink?"

August, Killian's guy at the morgue, deals in both information and blood, a rather helpful fellow. A bit younger than Killian, and still a little too glass half full to Killian's liking, but he got the job done.

"I'll take a six pack, and that Irene girl who came in tonight." Even though Killian was for all intents and purposes dead, he actually hated being at the morgue, creeped him out. Or maybe it was the envy he felt for those who didn't have to live this cursed life? Killian's self pitied train of thought was cut off when August handed him the _grocery bag,_ as they called it. They walked over together to Irene, who looked at peace at least.

"Nothing, I don't smell anything on her."

"Neither do I, there was nothing at the scene when I was there either. COD?" August handed Killian the official report. "Carotid artery was severed. How much blood loss?"

"Only 40%, that's enough to kill a human, but -"

"But a vamp would've drained her completely. Shit. And look at these bite marks. They're too clean."

"Why would a human try and make this look like one of us did it?"

"I don't bloody well know, but I'm about to find out." Killian stormed out of the morgue, pissed that his life was in danger because a mere mortal thought that they could play vampire for the day. Well, they were about to see how wrong they were.

Killian hated when his temper flared up like this, he wasn't a bad guy, perhaps wasn't a good guy either, but he tried to have good form in every aspect of life. He wanted to be better, for _her._ Everything always came back to her.

CSCSCSCSCS

As Emma broke into Irene's house she couldn't help but feel another presence there with her. Emma wasn't alone. She grabbed her mace out from her purse, and sprayed blindly as she rounded the corner. Then she felt a hand grab her wrist and she dropped the mace.

"Easy with the mace there, love."

 _It was him._

"You. You're the guy from the crime scene. Stay back!" Killian did as she commanded, raising his hands where she could see them.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I would never -"

"How do I know you're not the killer?" Emma quickly pulled out her keys, they probably wouldn't make much of a dent, but couldn't hurt to have something sharp. When she looked up at him she could see a small glimmer of humor in his eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Well, I'm not killing you love, so there's that," he said nonchalantly, as if any part of this was a normal occurance for either of them. Emma slowly lowered the keys, releasing the death grip she held on them.

"Okay, if you're not the killer - and let's go with that cause that's comforting - what are you doing here?" She saw the humor drop from his eyes, as he remembered why they were in Irene's apartment.

"I'm a P.I.," That did not seem to convince her, so he flashed his credentials. "Killian Jones at your service, love."

"Not your love. Who do you work for?" Jones walked away from her, continuing his search of whatever clues he could find.

"That kinda falls under the whole client confidentiality agreement, don't you think darling?" He turned back to her and flashed a smug smile. Emma walked up behind him, poking him in the shoulder.

"Don't you want to know who I am? Why I'm -"

"Emma Swan, working for Buzzwire for about two years now. It's entertaining." Killian continued to pick up some books that laid on the table in front of him. They were all covered with cliché vampire photographs, and given worse titles to go along with them. Emma was getting annoyed that he didn't seem to take her seriously. She worked hard and was sick of people treating her like her work was nothing.

"Listen pal, it's not just entertainment, okay? It's hard-hitting, investigative - okay a bit of sleaze, but I don't deal with that stuff." Killian kept his back towards her, and Emma was seriously pissed off at this point. "Listen Jones, I don't know what the fuck your problem is, but can you turn around and have a normal conversation like people do?"

In one swift motion Killian Jones faced Emma and she had never been so off balance before. She stumbled backwards, and almost fell onto a pile of clothes before Killian caught her. Even in the dark those blue eyes lit up the room. When Killian placed her back down she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She could see his mouth moving but could not retain anything with his hands holding her waist firmly.

"Wait, what?"

That glimmer was there again in his eyes, "I said, you're probably the best thing they have. If I may be so bold to say so."

Emma had this talent, a superpower if you will, that allowed her to tell when people were lying to her. Over the course of shitty foster homes and false promises of a better life, she'd honed this one skill of hers. So, in that moment she could tell this strange man was being sincere, that perhaps she was the best thing Buzzwire had to offer.

They stood there in silence for a moment, the air thick with tension as neither one dropped their eyes from the other. For the first time in a while Emma felt _something_ when she looked at Jones, something she could not describe. Perhaps something like, she felt more alive with him there. She opened her mouth to thank him but was cut off by her phone's shrilling ring.

"Hey Mary Margaret. Shit, I didn't realize how late it was, I'll be home soon. Is everything okay?" Killian gave small smile then adjourned to the bedroom area. She appreciated him being a gentleman and giving her space for the phone call. Mary Margaret and David were watching her son, Henry, for her, and she did not feel like explaining to Killian her whole life story at the moment.

Emma made her way to the bedroom and to Killian, neither one mentioning the phone call. She was about to give up hope of finding anything helpful when Killian pulled a book out from the dresser.

"Hey wait. That image, I've seen it before. Here look!" Emma showed him the picture of the bat pendant that was hanging on Irene's rearview mirror earlier. "Why would she hide this book? The entire apartment has vampire books all over it." Emma looked up and saw Killian clenching his jaw, apparently something she'd said hit a nerve. She flipped through the book until she found the pendant's image, this time captioned with its history. The pendant represented an ancient blood cult. Emma looked up at Killian trying to gage his reaction.

"Well, they don't exist lass, so I reckon something else attacked her." His voice was calm, but Emma could tell there was something there nagging at his thoughts.

"I know that, of course. I'm just saying, would explain all the dark gath-o-rama vibes and - what? Why are you laughing?"

Killian tried to control himself, he didn't mean to let his laughter slip. "Oh, I'm, uh, I'm sorry love. It's just when you start thinking really hard you do this little with your noise and you scrunch it up. It's rather adorable, Emma." She blushed and wished she could say it wasn't due to him saying her name, but that'd be a lie. Emma tried to look around, praying that the darkness concealed her rising blush, but nothing was helping.

They kept at their search for a few more minutes, but nothing was standing out to either of them. Emma started towards the door and Killian followed suit, realizing they had gathered everything relevant they could have hoped to find at the apartment.

Walking to their cars, Emma took one quick detour back to Irene's car to see if there was something she missed in there from earlier. Killian kept a respectful distance, letting Emma gather whatever intel she wanted.

Then it hit him.

Killian could smell the blood lingering in the car. It wasn't enough to set him off on a frenzy, but he was already on edge enough with Emma around. He didn't need anything else amplifying his more primal urges.

"Love, if I may?" Emma backed away from the car allowing Killian full access. He pretended to fiddle around with the car's accessories, trying to make this discovery seem as legitimate as possible. "Emma, do you have your phone? Shine it here for me, please?" With the additional light, she was able to illuminate the miniscule blood stain between the driver and passenger seats.

"Holy shit! How'd you see that? This is huge, we need to get this to a lab or the police, like now!" Killian was going to try and play it off, or engage in her excitement, but she did that nose thing again and he was taken by her once more. Once he realized he had been caught staring he offered to take the evidence in.

"Jones, I can take it in myself, I'm a big girl. Oh, are you trying to get credit for this? Listen mister, I-"

"Emma, trust me I am aware how much of a _big girl_ you are." She wondered why everything he said sounded like sin. "You broke into a murdered girl's apartment. I have the protection of being a P.I., ensuring I won't get in trouble. But you, on the other hand..."

Emma realized he was doing it to help keep her out of trouble. She stepped back out of his way and allowed him to collect the sample without any interference.

"Here, give me your arm." Before she was even finished she already had his arm in her hand, he jerked back for a second, which only made her grab him harder. She must have yanked harder than she intended because he looked to be a bit off balance from it, _thank you kickboxing class for finally paying off._

"This way you can keep me updated with whatever your guy finds. Okay?" Emma looked up, once again memorized by his eyes. Seemed that they were both there, frozen, in this moment neither one of them making any attempt to move. That was until Emma's phone went off again, breaking the tension once more.

"MM? No go ahead put him on the phone. Hey sweetie, I promise I'll be home soon. I know, I love you too." Emma turned around to wish Killian good night, but he was already gone.

 _God, he really loves to do that, huh?_

CSCSCSCSCS

Killian knew better than to pass up an opportunity for any leads, and what better place than a funeral to find your suspects. He never did grasp the concept of why they needed to take place during the bloody day, though. Thankfully, it was near enough to fall that the days in Storybrooke were typically more on the cloudy side than anything else.

Killian loved Storybrooke, he'd grown up here actually. The cloudy days reminded him of his childhood, what little he could still remember. It'd been over 200 years, but Storybrooke had always called to him, would always be his home.

As Killian stepped around O'Donoghue Cemetery he couldn't help but be filled with remorse. The last time he'd come here he'd been a different person, a man. It was for Liam's funeral, Killian had only been 24 at the time, actually 24. He's been stuck at 31 for 210 years, frozen in time for longer than he cared for. He knew he needed to dial it down on the self-loathing, but as Liam always said, Killian was nothing if not dramatic.

Remembering why he was there, Killian found a tree to hide in the shade of and watched the service from afar. It was clear to see who knew Irene before she came to college, and who were her more _goth-o-rama_ friends, as Emma so kindly put it. They stood in a line, with a slightly older gentleman at the center and a step in front of the rest of his group.

"Dr. Freddy Henderson, Director of the International Cultic Studies department at Salem University." Killian pretended to be surprised at Emma's presence. Truth was he could smell her from a mile away. He'd always thought it was adorable when humans believed they'd gotten the jump on him.

"Swan, bloody hell! What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if anyone stuck out to me. Did you know nine out of ten killers show up to their victim's funeral?"

Killian took a moment to look down at her, and saw a small smile creeping in the corner of her mouth. "You're good Swan. I almost believed you for a second. However, you're a bit of an open book to me."

"A book? Really? Care to elaborate further Mr. Mysteriously Sexy P.I.?" Emma realized what she said, her blush spread quickly, Killian could not help but to laugh. He could hear her heart racing now, and decided to not further her embarrassment and looked back at the service.

As the mourners began to disperse Killian thought this might have been a waste of time. Then again, any time he could spend with Emma was a gift. Right before Killian turned his back to leave he heard someone shouting.

"This is your fault! You killed her! You fucking bastard!" A young woman was screaming in the face of Dr. Freddy. The blonde man beside him tried to grab her and pull her away from the rest of the group. Before he could remove her, she was able to scratch him with her keys in the neck.

"Kelly! Kelly! Come on now sweetheart. It's okay, shh. It's all gonna be okay." The woman continued to squirm in the man's grasp. The rest of the group stayed with Dr. Freddy, who seemed more than alright, and was definitely milking this moment. Kelly must've broke his skin with her keys, though. Killian could smell his blood. It was a familiar scent.

"Well, I guess we have some new leads to follow. I'll take-"

"Go home Swan." Killian began to walk away from her, not waiting for her response.

"Uh, excuse me? Who the fuck do you think you are? I am a grown woman, I can handle myself, thank you very much." She was pissed, and he was to blame for her anger. He never wanted to upset her, she was the one person he could never disappoint.

"Aye, I know you very well can, Emma," his use of her name caused her breath to hitch, "but I also know that one of the people that we just saw is a killer. I can't...I can't let you put yourself in harms way, love." Emma took a step back, he could hear her pulse returning to it's normal rate as her frustration left.

"I appreciate it, Killian, thank you. However, I've handled worse before, I know what I'm doing." It was the first time that she'd ever said his name, and for the first time in his existence he could almost feel the blush creeping across his face. They had seemed to come to some sort of understanding.

"Fine, if it'll make you feel better I'll talk to Kelly. Okay?"

"Just be careful. Don't do anything alone. Stay in public. I don't trust these people very much, and I don't want to see something happen to you." It wasn't a lie, but Killian knew that it was a bit much to say to someone he supposedly just met.

"I promise, I'll be careful. I have a few favors I can cash in." The two headed towards their respected cars, when Emma finally remembered to ask about the blood they found.

"It's the professors." Killian nonchalantly stated as he tossed Emma the vial.

CSCSCSCSCS

Emma knew Killian was trying to look out for her, she didn't understand why, but she was thankful for their... friendship? Acquaintance? Partnership? Whatever it was, she felt safe around him. For some reason she trusted him, she knew he would have her back if the time ever came.

After using a program that she may or may not have had permission to access, Emma found out Kelly worked at Granny's Diner. Emma knew the owner. She was the grandmother of Emma's friend Ruby, so she let Emma take Kelly to the back room, so they could talk in private.

"I'll just cut to the chase. What's going on between you and Dr. Freddy?" Kelly didn't seem to be in a talkative mood, but Emma Swan never gave up without a fight. "Come on, you cut him at the funeral yesterday. You don't just do that without any cause. There's a killer out there right now Kelly, someone who could kill again. If there's something you know, you need to tell me."

This seemed to have shook her a bit, Kelly dropped the cold exterior fast. Emma could see the scared little girl staring back at her. 

"He thinks he's a vampire." Kelly looked like a child who had just confessed to something naughty to their parent. Emma couldn't help but laugh at the comment, but she could sense Kelly was being serious.

"Dr. Freddy? He thinks-"

"Trust me, I know how ridiculous it sounds. He has all these followers, disciples he calls them. They all believe him. They go to the basement of Morrison Hall and meet every Wednesday night."

Emma liked to believe she was a smart woman, she knew if she broke out a pad and paper Kelly would stop talking immediately. Thankfully, Emma had hit record on her phone the moment she walked into the diner. She had a feeling the group's meeting was going to be an important piece of evidence for later. "Like a cult?"

"Exactly like that, and don't worry they hit all the cliches. It's really all a bunch of gimmicks, while everyone drools over Freddy."

"Were you a, um, disciple? Was Irene?" Emma saw Kelly tense up at her name, without much thought she reached out her hand to Kelly. Although Kelly declined the olive branch, she did give an appreciative smile back to Emma.

"Yeah, and I was the one that told her to join, and look where that got her."

"What happened? Obviously, there's some bad... never mind. Why the attack yesterday?"

"Irene believed him, she was all over him. Completely bought into all the bullshit, the performances he would put on."

"And you didn't?" Emma knew she was pushing her luck, but sometimes that was the only way to get the answers you really need.

"No, I did… he's seductive, he makes you feel powerful, important."

"But then you saw it was all an act?"

"Yeah, I was sick of not being enough."

Emma's interest piqued, and she walked over to the freezer near Kelly, "Oh, so you were jealous?"

"Sure, how could you not be. Wait. No, you think I killed her? She was my best friend, I could never. You know what? I think our little interview here is over. Go write your little vampire story somewhere else, I have tables to wait." Kelly stormed past Emma, slamming into her shoulder as she passed. As Emma sighed in defeat she could hear heels clicking in behind her.

"Don't mind her Ems, she's been on edge since the murder." Ruby came into the back room, she had this ability to read situations better than anyone else. "I don't think she's capable of it, though. Yeah, I heard some of their fights, but that was her best friend, there's no way she could've harmed her let alone kill her."

Emma moved across the room, grabbed her friends' arm and walked back out to her car. She had a feeling Kelly would be a dead end. Killian probably did too, which is why he most likely agreed to this arrangement.

 _Killian._

He kept reappearing in her mind. She could not shake the feeling that she knew him somehow. There seemed to be this connection between the two of them, some sort of bond. When he said he could read her like a book it terrified her. One thing Emma prided herself on was her ability to be an enigma. She never let her guard down for a moment, because the second you do, you lose. Or you end up pregnant at 17, alone in a jail cell.

Emma knew that she needed to take things further, she felt bad going behind Killian's back, but she needed answers. Now.

CSCSCSCSCS

One of the few blessings in Killian's life since his transition was the fact that his abilities were heightened. It's what made him so good at his job. He could hear and see things no one else could. He'd hated what he was for a long time, but he knew that if there was a way to turn this curse into anything more, then he had to do it.

"You know what? You're giving me a headache and I have class. Don't wait up, Maureen."

For instance, he could hear when a marriage was in shambles.

"I had nothing to do with it-"

"Oh, really Freddy? That's what we're telling people? One of your _vampire_ groupies turns up dead with _bite marks_ and it has nothing to do with you?"

"Oh, fuck off, good night." The door slammed behind Freddy as he walked over to his car and sped out the neighborhood. For a man claiming to be an immortal, claiming he can have whatever he wanted, he certainly did not appear to be with that tiny little scrap metal he drove.

Killian sat for a minute more before he walked over to the door the professor left from moments before. He could still hear his wife fuming from their fight, perfect timing. He walked up, and took a deep breath. When humans were upset, and their blood was pumping more vigorously through their veins it tended to distract him. Centuries of practice had made him a near expert at controlling himself, but only near. With one final deep breath Killian knocked on the door.

"Hello there ma'am, I was wondering if Dr. Freddy was around?" He laid it on pretty thick, not that he really had to, he knew his effect on women.

Maureen took a step back, admiring the man that seemed to have randomly knocked on her lucky door. "No sadly, he is away for class. Is there something I can help you with mister...?"

"Jones, Killian Jones, P.I."

"Oh," her smile faltered, "this is about the dead girl, isn't it?"

"Yes ma'am, but I see I must've caught you in a bad time. I can just come back-"

"Come in. What do you wanna know?" Although he didn't need a formal invitation in, it never hurt to have one. They made their way to the kitchen table, Maureen stayed silent as she made them a cup of tea.

"This must be difficult for you." Killian reached out his hand, he could tell from their brief encounter she'd been suffering from Freddy's delusions for a while.

"Please. This, uh, this is just the tip of the iceberg for us, I feel like. He used to be a real academic, published every year, was respected within the academy. But this? He thinks he's a fucking vampire. Did you know that?"

"No, I wasn't aware of his claim." She huffed and rolled her eyes, not spotting his blatant lie.

"That's what he tells them, all those girls. He can be quite the charmer when he wants to be, worked on me all those years ago. Every week he goes down to the basement of Morrison Hall and he just, he puts on a show. What's sad is to him this is his truth."

"Ma'am, I need to ask you a very blunt question." Maureen looked up from her tea and met Killian's eyes. "Do you think your husband is responsible for the murder of Irene?"

"The girl, Irene, she had two bite marks on the neck, right? Well, Freddy's the only vampire I know Mr. Jones."

He heard her pulse, it stayed level. She truly believed her husband was the murderer, and now Killian had to bring him in. He left his card for Maureen, and made her promise that if something came up, or if she ever felt unsafe, to give him a call.

CSCSCSCSCS

"We have all fed on blood. Every one of you in this room. Everyone on this earth." Emma knew this guy was freaky, but hearing him actually say this shit was insane. Kelly was right, they were really hitting all the clichés here. The basement of Morrison Hall was what you would expect to find in a horror movie. The lights flickered in the hallway, the room that they were in had exposed piping along the far wall. It was a cold run down basement that no one and their right minds would come down to.

This guy really thought he was a fucking vampire, he was insane. She knew better than to laugh or show her doubts, his disciples would surely make her pay by the looks of them. Emma tried not to stereotype the bunch, she knew what it was like to be put into a box and treated like that was all that you were. However, they made it incredibly hard for her to find them to be more than a bunch of creepily dedicated followers of a delusional man. 

"In the womb, our first meal is blood. We feed in darkness. There is no time. There is no life. There is no death. It is a perfect world." In a perfect world Emma would have him locked up, regardless if he killed Irene or not, he was insane. 

"Seemingly everlasting. Until we are ripped from the womb into daylight. When we are born, that paradise is lost, and we spend the rest of our days trying to find our way back. Back to that perfect world of blood and darkness." Emma pretended to take notes like the rest of the disciples trying to fit in to this odd crowd. She was pretty sure she saw two girls crying in the front, enamored by the garbage spewing out of Freddy's mouth.

He walked over to the girls, held them both close and whispered in their ears as they ceased to cry. "That's enough for tonight. But remember to take this truth with you to your everyday lives.  
We are all vampires, every last one of us. I will see you all next week."

As the students filed out of the room, they all took a moment to bow to Freddy. Disgusted, Emma may have let a huff slip out, when people looked back at her she tried to play it off as a cough which seemed to work.

"Welcome miss-"

"Walker, Hollye Walker." She stuck her hand out trying to hold back her repulsion towards this man. As he took her hand he tried to bring her in for a hug, but she once again feigned a cough to get out of it."

"I don't think I've seen you here before."

"Oh no, I just transferred in. I read your book, and I just had to come to your class and meet you in person."

"Well, I hope I didn't disappoint Miss Walker." He placed his hand on top of hers that rested on the desk.

 _Holy shit, he was hitting on her. EW._

Emma batted her eyelashes, putting on the show for him. Although she resented when she had to use it, she was not ashamed of her feminine charms, and perhaps used her assets every now and then. It worked in her favor, enough for her to get invited back to the class and into a secret study group with a few other students.

The TA who seemed to be a lacky for all intents and purposes, took down her contact information. She always kept a burner phone for moments like this. This wasn't her first rodeo, she knew better than to give any real information to these creeps.

When she made it back to her apartment she noticed she had a missed a phone call from Scarlet. She had a feeling she was about to get an ass chewing.

"Will, before you-"

"Oh no ya don't! You need to put a end to this bloody vampire bit you got gowin on right now."

"Scarlet, it's fine! You know the more coverage, the more tips come in with clues." She made her way over to her kitchen to get herself a glass of wine. She'd need it if she was going to have to deal with him for much longer.

"Yeah, and it also brings out copycats. And before you go and bring up that blood bit, forget about it. Can't use it, and wouldn't have done much good anyhow."

"Wait, you're telling me it's not the professor?"

"Ugh, bloody hell, Yes, it was his. He provided a sample during his first interrogation session."

"What about Kelly, Irene's friend?" Emma knew that Kelly didn't have anything to do with it, she just wanted to make sure the girl was innocent in everyone's mind.

"Her and Irene had their issues. Irene had come in the week before her death looking into a restraining order against Kelly. She opted out of that on the day she died."

"You don't think-"

"No of course not, I talked to the girl meself, she had nothin to do with all this. Look, Swan, just be careful."

"Awe, Scarlet I didn't know you had such a soft side."

"Emma, I'm serious. I don't like the looks of these people, just be smart. Alright?" Emma met Will a few years ago, and in all their time this was the first time she could hear the fear in his voice. He'd never let a case get to him, let alone tell Emma how to go about her life.

"I promise, Will. I'll be smart, go get some sleep you probably look like shit."

"Impossible, I am always flawless. Night, Swan."

Emma left her phone on the counter for the time being. Everyone else was home, she had no one else to talk to. Right as she took a sip from her glass she heard the infamous, "MOM?" from down the hallway.

She rushed over to Henry's bedside to see he was wide away. Recently he'd had trouble sleeping. Emma would wake up in the middle of the night to find Henry had crawled into her bed. She didn't mind it at all, she always wanted to make sure Henry knew how much he was loved, that she was never going to leave him.

After nearly an hour of talking over his nightmare, and getting him to relax, Emma had finally coaxed him back to sleep. She figured she had another 4 hours before he would walk over to her bed for their nightly cuddles.

When she came back into the living room Mary Margret was there waiting for her with a refilled glass of wine.

"What was it this time?"

"The same one. Peter Pan came and captured him. You know most kids like Peter Pan, but Henry is terrified of him for some reason."

"Hm, well hopefully it passes soon enough, and he can get a normal night sleep again. Emma? How have you been? This newest assignment seems intense."

"I'm fine, I promise," Mary Margaret didn't seem to believe that, "oh come on! I'm being smart, I would never do anything to put myself in danger."

"You know I worry about you, Emma. It's not just you anymore, I know you were on your own for a while, but your family needs you. Okay?" Emma knew she meant more than just Henry. Mary Margaret and David took Emma in as their child, honestly. Emma always swore that no matter what she would put her family first, she finally had one and she was never going to lose the people she loved.

"School okay M's?" Emma could only handle so much emotion at once. Her walls, as Mary Margaret liked to say, only stayed down for a few moments at a time.

"Yeah everything is fine, we are getting ready for our fall festival already. I mean, August literally ended yesterday, but the school wants everything to be perfect."

"Well, with you in charge I have no doubt about it." Emma tilted her wine glass and had a silent cheers with her friend. When the women decided to call it a night Emma's mind could not stop racing. She kept thinking about him, Killian. She couldn't shake this feeling about him.

CSCSCSCSCS

The diner was empty, Kelly didn't mind the peace and quiet after a long shift. The blasted music was shut off, no more annoying customers, and the only lights left on were the neon ones up front. She was nearly done with everything on the checklist, she just needed to put the money in the drop box for the night and then she was free.

She heard a few of the trash cans rattling outside, raccoons were infamous of getting into them. They loved Granny's lasagna just as much as everyone else. Kelly walked back to the front, double checking that she'd locked the doors.

As she walked back to the counter she could hear the door rattling, probably Granny or Ruby coming back for something. When she walked down the back hallway she saw them.

"Oh hey it's you. What are you doing here?"

Nothing.

"Why are you wearing that mask? You know I hate that thing. Can you take it off?"

The figure came closer to Kelly. One step at a time, closing the distance between them, without making a noise.

"Seriously, stop! You're freaking me out, it's not funny anymore. Can you just-"

CSCSCSCSCS

Killian had stopped at the professor's office earlier in the day. The dude was a complete dick along with being a poser. He kept rambling on about these ancient ideas of what makes a vampire a real vampire. Freddy was one of those guys that thought because he had a PhD that he was the smartest man in the room. The only thing Killian smelled on him was arrogance and the fear of being caught. He didn't know what he was scared of being caught for though, but he knew there was a scared little man in there.

Freddy kept playing his persona, tried to make Killian believe he was a vampire. He failed. Killian knew he was pushing his luck with time, before he could continue his TA came in and interrupted their meeting. Came in babbling about some sort of meeting Freddy was already late to.

He knew he was running out of time, he needed to find this killer and fast before he struck again. Before they could hurt anyone else. After a drive of trying to clear his head Killian decided it'd be best if he went home and tried to figure out some remnant of a plan.

Killian prided himself on his ability to blend in, to lurk in the shadows. He needed to in order to keep his everlasting existence a peaceful one. He had the best security systems money could buy, cameras everywhere, sensors, you name it Killian had it. In his line of work, he never knew might stop by for a visit.

Hell, he even had a separate office space for when his business was a bit more public. He made sure to have it on the other side of town There was always the occasional call on him, which was not often but still appearances needed to be kept up.

With all of that being said, here he was tonight with Emma Swan sitting in his living room talking over this case that seemed to have finally brought them together. Emma had somehow not only found his house, but was able to sneak past most of his security system. She never ceased to surprise him after all this time.

"How'd you do it? Who do you have working on the inside?"

Killian walked over with a glass of water, the only refreshment in his house meant for a human. "I don't know what you mean, Swan. Tell me, what did you find out about Kelly?"

Emma rolled her eyes at him, he knew he was already on thin ice with the evasiveness, but he couldn't tell her the truth. "She's harmless, well I think she is. Irene was about to put a restraining order against her, but decided to drop it the day of her death. She's just a jealous ex, well I don't know if they ever reached that stage, but she was jealous of Irene."

"Aye, I talked to the wife. Maureen seems to be well aware of her husband's extracurricular activities. She didn't harm the girl either, if anything she's one fight away from jumping on the next train to New York."

"Oh, he totally thinks he's a vampire too by the way." Emma couldn't hold back her giggle as she said that sentence. Killian found comfort in the idea that she saw that as such a ridiculous notion. He moved closer to her on the couch, without thinking he didn't mean to invade her space but he just wanted to be closer to her.

"Well, I kinda went to his class last Wednesday, even got an invite for their super special secret study group."

That grabbed Killian's attention, he knew Emma could take care of herself, but he still did not like the idea of her being around them on her own. "I don't like this idea, Swan. Perhaps it be best if you left this one to the professionals."

"What are they gonna do? Kill the newby for extra credit? Jones, it's fine, I've got it all covered." He reached up to scratch behind his ear, a nervous tick he never could shake. Emma alone made him nervous, let alone her going someplace undercover with a possible murderer.

Emma walked towards the door, stopping before she grabbed the handle and turned to face Killian once more. Before she could say anything else her phone rang, it was David calling this time. "Good night, Killian."

He was alone. Again.

Since Storybrooke didn't have a gated community he'd chosen to live more on the outskirts of town, closer to the woods. He found peace in the solitude, but in this moment, he never felt more alone in his existence. Killian still felt Emma's presence in the living room, the half empty glass of water she'd left sitting there. He looked around at the fortress he had built for himself. The land belonged to his family all those years ago, no one else had dared to build out here at that time, everyone wanted to be closer to the town square. Now, here he was a few hundred years later in a mansion, and yet he was no man.

CSCSCSCSCS

Emma found it strange that the study group started at 11pm, but then she remembered from her college years and figured it wasn't that all surprising. Since things were getting a bit more intense David insisted on driving her to the group, and that she wear a wire. This was nothing new for them, but she could feel that the car's energy was a bit charged more than normal.

When they arrived he said nothing. He got out the car and made his way to the trunk. He helped fit her for the wire just had they had done a dozen times for broadcasts. His hands were shaking, his normal calm exterior faded in that moment. "Just come home? Okay, Ems?" She gave him a hug as a response, she wanted her family to know she'd come home to them.

As she made her way down to the basement she could overhear Dr. Freddy and the rest of the group mummering together. No, they were chanting together. She stood outside the door and listened to them as they called upon the darkness to take them back once more.

"Well, that'll be it for tonight, see you all tomorrow for class." Everyone once again bowed to Dr. Freddy as the exited the room.

"Oh, I'm sorry I thought the group met at 11?"

"Yes, well I like to meet with students one on one for their first session, see where they are in their beliefs." He ushered her to the couch near the pipe covered walls. She could hear Killian's voice in her head saying this was a bad idea, but she stayed anyways.

As their time went on Emma knew she needed an escape plan immediately. She had checked her phone once, pretending that she felt the vibration and that her roommate might be calling her. There was no signal, no one was coming for her.

 _Fuck._

"Here, now place her hands over mine. Good, good, just like that. Now close your eyes. In a moment you will feel our energy connecting, our hearts will beat together, we will feel this together."

Was this dude for real? "You can't actually believe that?"

 _Oh shit, she didn't mean to say that aloud._

"I'm sorry Miss Walker? What did you say?"

"It's just…. There… fuck it. There's no way this actually works for you? On them? Come on now, this is ridiculous." Emma tried to stand up, but Freddy grabbed her arm and threw her on the couch.

"Who are you? What - what's this?" He felt the wire on her. She knew this was bad, but luckily all those years defending herself she taught her a trick or two.

Emma was able to kick him off of her, while he was off balance she stepped on his foot and broke his nose. As he fell over to the ground she figured one good kick in the balls wouldn't hurt. She ran out of the room to his lacky who seemed to be waiting for her.

"Hollye? Hollye, what's wrong?"

"Call the cops, call someone! We need to get out of here, come on!"

"My phone is in my car!" He grabbed her hand as they rushed out from the basement, sprinting to his car. When they finally reached it Emma turned around making sure the professor hadn't followed them.

Before she turned back she felt a sharp sting in her neck and became incredibly drowsy.

CSCSCSCSCS

Killian could feel it, he knew something was wrong. He tried to call Emma, but she wasn't answering, nothing was working. He was able to make it down to the basement where he found Freddy on his back holding his bloody nose.

"Where is she?" Killian slammed him into the chalkboard, holding him up by the neck. "Answer me, you fraud!"

"I don't, can't breathe, I don't know who-" Killian slammed him once again, "I can smell her on you. This is the last time I will ask nicely. Where is she?" He didn't mean for it to happen, but his fangs came out.

"No, no! This isn't possible, you're not real!" The fear in this man's eyes convinced Killian. The man couldn't harm a fucking fly if he wanted to. The professor wasn't the killer, which meant Emma was still in grave danger.

He left the professor there, cowering in fear on the floor. Killian sprinted back up to the parking lot where he could hear a car peeling out. The TA. _He_ was the killer, and he had Emma in the car. Killian could smell her.

He ran in front of the car, which caused it to swerve into a light pole. Killian rushed over to the driver's door and ripped it open. He reached in, grabbed the TA, and threw him out of the car.

"You don't understand! These girls? They're a distraction, they're taking away from Freddy reaching his full potential. I was just helping him, I just wanted to help." Killian thought the professor was sick, but this guy hit a new level. Killian left him there on the pavement and he rushed over to Emma's door. She was still unconscious.

As Killian went to pick her up he felt a pinch in his back. He turned around to see the prick had tried to stab him in the back, literally! Killian had about enough of all this tonight, he picked up the git and threw him towards the light post which finally knocked him out.

Killian picked up Emma and decided it was time to go home.

CSCSCSCSCS

Emma saw him get stabbed, she swore she saw him throw the bastard with one hand across the car.

The next thing she remembered was waking up on a couch, _his_ couch. When she looked up she saw him, staring down on her with his brows raised in concern. He had saved her.

That was it!

"You saved me!"

"Eh, sort of, it wasn't hard to catch the car as-"

"No, I mean when I was a little girl. You saved me, that's why I know your face. You're the one that saved me when I was abducted all those years ago. How? How is it that you haven't aged?"

Killian moved across the room and sat down on the coffee table in front of her. "I think you got a nasty bump on your head there, Emma. Plus, with the toxins, I think you're a bit confused, love." He handed her a glass of water and some pills to help with the pain.

Of course. It couldn't be him. That was over 20 years ago, and he hadn't aged a day. "I saw him stab you, I saw-"

"He came pretty damn close but missed. Thankfully, your wire was still good, got the whole confession on tape. He'll be locked up for a while." She was happy that some good came from this night, she had failed in staying safe she - oh shit Henry! Killian seemed to have sensed her panic, grabbed onto her arm and she stared into his crystal eyes. She felt safe with him. He saved her, possibly for the second time.

"Come on Swan, I'll drive you home to your loved ones."

Killian helped her up, and she immediately wrapped her arms around him. He acted like this was the first time he'd been touched this way in years. She held him for a minute more then headed towards the door.

When she turned around she saw Killian frozen, facing the TV. His fists were in a tight ball, knuckles ghost white, and jaw clenched shut.

"It was announced today, Francis Blackbeard would be released from prison after being wrongfully convicted of his wife's murder back in 1986."

"No."


End file.
